The farmers have been protesting against the new farm laws near Delhi border points
Highlights
- The cops are investigating farmer groups' leaders over Delhi violence
- The farmer groups have alleged a huge conspiracy behind Tuesday's event
- Around 400 police personnel were injured in the clashes
Nineteen people have been arrested and more than 25 cases registered over the violence during Republic Day's tractor rally, the Delhi Police said today, adding that they are investigating the farmer groups' leaders as well. The farmer groups have alleged a huge conspiracy behind yesterday's events, in which a farmer died. The conspiracy, the farmers said, is to sabotage the movement aimed at repealing the three farm laws passed by parliament in September.
Around 400 police personnel were injured in the daylong clashes, which started as farmers broke barricades and tried to enter Delhi way ahead of time and deviated from the planned route which had been cleared for the rally.
"Farmers at Singhu broke the barricades at 6.30 am itself. They didn't stick to the designated route," Delhi police commissioner S N Srivastava said at a press meet today.
"Similar defiance was seen at Tikri and Ghazipur borders," the officer said. "Butta Singh along with his team indulged in violence at Nangloi junction (near Tikri border). Farmers with Rakesh Tikait indulged in violence at Ghazipur and reached the Red Fort," he added.
Pointing out that 394 police personnel were injured in the daylong violence, the officer said, "The police had got all the options but exercised restraint. We didn't want any loss of life".
The postmortem report of a farmer who died in Delhi yesterday shows that he was not shot, as claimed by some farmers, the Uttar Pradesh Police have said.
"He succumbed to the antemortem injuries which he received after his tractor turned turtle as seen in the viral video," Avinash Chandra, a senior police officer of Bareilly region was quoted as saying by news agency ANI. The farmer had died yesterday near Delhi's ITO, where violence broke out. CCTV footage of his tractor overturning was widely circulated.
The police have detained 200 people in connection with the violence which took place mostly in and around Mukarba Chowk, Ghazipur, ITO, Seemapuri, Nangloi T-Point, Tikri Border and the Red Fort. Baricades were broken at Ghazipur, Tikri and Singhu borders, the police said.
"We have the videos of the violence. We are using facial recognition tools to identify them. All those (responsible) will be arrested... No culprit will be spared. No one will be spared. Even the unions will be investigated," Mr Srivastava said.
Unprecedented chaos was unleashed upon Delhi on Republic Day as the tractor rally went off the designated course and rolled into the iconic Red Fort in the Old City.The violence started in the morning as farmers broke barricades and entered Delhi ahead of time.